Electric fan



G. A. DEAN ELECTRIC FAN Jan. 15, 1952 Filed Nov. 1, 1946 mn d E m. 6 BMW8 0 W9 mwv Patented Jan. 15, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRICFAN George A. Dean, New York, N. Y.

Application November 1, 1946, Serial No. 707,317

4 Claims. (01. 230--259) This invention relates to electric fans of thekind wherein the impeller and motor are enclosed in a casing whichserves as a difiuser.

One object of the invention is to provide a fan of the charactergenerally described which is adapted to cause the circulation, at lowvelocity, of large volumes of air.

A further object is to provide a fan which is quiet in operation andwhich is adapted to effect the uniform diffusion of air in alldirections.

A still further object is to provide a fan which is pleasing andattractive in appearance, which is simple and of low cost in design andwherein the parts may be fabricated and assembled with facility.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in whichFigure 1 is a side elevational view of a fan embodying the features ofthe invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the fan; and

Figure 4 is a horizontal section to reduced scale and is taken alongline 4-4 of Figure 3.

The fan, as illustrated, has a housing in the form of a sphere. The baseof the fan is provided by a shallow shell Ill which forms the lowerportion of the spherical housin and which encases an annular mountingmember I l. The latter and the shell are secured together by threadedelements I2, the heads l3 of which are in the form of balls and whichserve as feet for the fan. The mounting member II is formed to provide awell 14 in which an electric motor I5 is accommodated, the motor beingsuitably secured to a horizontal bottom wall It of the mounting member.

The impeller I! of the fan is located under a grill member [8 whichforms the top portion of the spherical housing and within an annularshroud member 59, the impeller being supported in the position describedby a shaft 20 which connects it to the motor [5 and by which it isdriven.

The motor is and impeller I! are designed to draw air in through theopenings in the grill l8 at high velocity and to direct it downwardlyand outwardly. Cooperating with the impeller are a series of truncated,bell-shaped members 20, vertically arranged, and a lower cone 2|, theupper end of the latter being formed with an opening 22 through whichthe shaft 20 passes. The lower flaring end of the cone 2| seats up aflange 23 on the mounting member II and fits within the open end of theshell H] to thereby provide an enclosure for the motor E5.

The lower ends of the bell-shaped members are preferably of such adiameter and so arranged that their marginal edges complete thespherical portion of the fan housing between the cap or grill member l8and the base shell Ill, the bell-shaped members being supported in themanner described by a circular series of pins 24 and spacing sleeves 25.The upper ends of the pins 24 are connected to a flange 26 on the shroudmember l9 while the lower ends of the pins are connected to the flange23 on the mounting member I l.

Referring particularly to Figure 3, it will be noted that from theimpeller I! in the direction of the apex of the cone 2! the bell-shapedmembers iii are progressively of greater height and thatin the samedirection the openings defined by their upper edges decreaseprogressively in diameter. The form of the bell-shaped members and theirarrangement in the manner described has the advantage that the air whichis drawn in through the openings in the grill [8 at high velocity isdirected outwardly uniformly in all directions at a velocity level belowthat of a draft.

As shown, and preferred, the opening 22 in the apex of the cone 2i issufficiently larger than the diameter of the shaft 20 to permit theentry into the cone of air for cooling the motor I5, it being noted thatthe upper portion of the cone 2| extends up into the openings in theupper ends of the two lower bell-shaped members 20.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the motor, shaft andimpeller are completely encased, this being accomplished withoutimpairing the eihciency of the fan to any material degree. The fan ispleasing and attractive in appearance, highly effective and quiet inoperation and has the further advantage that the parts thereof may befabricated and assembled with facility.

It will be appreciated that the features of the invention may beemployed in connection with various forms of fans, the fan specificallyillustrated and described being intended by way of example only.

I claim as my invention:

1. A portable fan including an impeller, a motor for driving saidimpeller and toward which a current of air is directed by said impeller,and a spherical housing for enclosing said impeller and motor, saidhousing having members having lower rims varying in diameter r so thatsaid rims and said caps have the same spherical radius.

2. A portable electric fan including a spherical housing, the centralportion of which is formed by a vertical series of truncated,bell-shaped diffusing members, said bell-shaped diffusing members havinglower rims varying in diameter so that said rims and said caps have thesame spherical radius, a motor in the lower part of said housing, animpeller in the upper part of said housing and means connecting saidimpeller to said motor, said diffusing members having throats which, asa series, provide an air passage which decreases in transversecrosssection from said impeller in the direction of said motor.

3. A portable electric fan including a spherical housing, the centralportion of which is formed by a vertical series of truncated,bell-shaped difiusing members, said bell-shaped diffusing members havinglower rims varying in diameter so that said rims and said caps have thesame spherical radius, a motor in the lower part of said housing, animpeller in the upper part of said housing, a shaft connecting saidimpeller to said motor, said difiusing members having throats which, asa series, provide an air passage which decreases in transversecross-section from said impeller in the direction of said motor andalong which said shaft extends, the diameter of the throat of thelowermost of said diiTusing members being reduced so that only enoughair is permitted to pass through it as will be adequate to cool saidmotor.

4. A portable fan comprising a housing having top and base caps, animpeller located in the upper part of said housing, a motor located inthe lower part of said housing, a shaft connecting said impeller andmotor, and a vertical series of spaced-apart truncated bell-shapeddiffusers which cooperate with said caps to complete said housing andwhich are located between said impeller and motor for directing said airoutwarldy in all directions, said top cap being provided with openingsfor the intake of air and forming a shroud member for said impeller,said base cap having a motor mount secured to it, said base cap and thelowermost of said bell-shaped diffusers substantially containing saidmotor, said diffusers having throats which, as a series, provide apassage which decreases in cross-section from said impeller in thedirection of said motor, sleeves for mounting said diifusers in spacedrelation, pins extending through said sleeves and connecting said bottomcap with said top cap to secure said caps and diffusers together as anassembly, and threaded elements for securing the lower base cap to saidmotor mount, said threaded elements having heads which serve as feet forthe fan.

GEORGE A. DEAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 144,034 Budlong Mar. 5, 1946768,499 Williamson Aug. 23, 1904 1,945,010 Waterbury Jan. 30, 19342,258,731 Blumenthal Oct. 14, 1941 2,310,772 Fukal Feb. 9, 19432,378,012 Herbster June 12, 1945

